Turkish VP receives Turkic Council delegation in Ankara

Strengthening ties among diaspora of Turkic Council discussed during gathering

By Mumin Altas

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey’s vice president received on Thursday a ministerial delegation from the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) in capital Ankara, according to presidential sources.

Fuat Oktay hosted the delegation at the presidential complex, where they exchanged views on improving cooperation, strengthening ties and communication among diaspora communities, the sources said.

Among the delegation were Baghdad Amreyev, secretary general of the Turkic Council Secretariat; Fuad Muradov, chairman of Azerbaijan's State Committee on Work with Diaspora and Darkhan Kaletayev, minister of religious affairs and civil society of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The meeting came just after a joint plan of action was accepted by Turkic speaking countries in a meeting among senior officials of the diaspora.

In accordance with the plan, the second Turkic Council Diaspora Forum, scheduled for the next year, will be hosted by Turkey.

Members of the Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz diaspora communities will discuss political, legal and commercial issues as well as those regarding civil society and human rights at the forum.

The council was established in 2009 as an international intergovernmental organization, with the overarching aim of promoting comprehensive cooperation among Turkic-speaking states.